This work is designed to extend our knowledge of the development of phonological organization in American Sign Language (ASL) through work in two areas. The first aim is to trace the development of the syllable in early sign phonology in order to improve our understanding of phonological structure in a visual language. The second aim is to trace the emergence of independent features analogous to phonemes in spoken languages. Data will come from longitudinal and cross-sectional samples of deaf children who are learning ASL as a native language as they begin to produce their first signs. Research on visual language will establish universals across language that differ in modality and should lead to a better understanding of how natural visual languages is acquired and the nature of universal phonology without modality biases.